All the Stars align
by SeeliePrincess19
Summary: Christmas-themed Heline one shot. Aline and Helen meet for the first time in Alicante and enjoy a wonderful evening. - Reviews are appreciated!


**Just a little something for the holidays. A christmas-themed Heline one shot that will alternate POV's between Helen and Aline. (Note: This isn't set in any particular time during TMI. It's just an imaginary event set during Christmas time where Helen and Aline meet for the first time.) **

**Enjoy and I wish you a Merry Christmas! **

* * *

**Helen**

It was the first time for her to spend Christmas away from Los Angeles, away from her family, but for some reason she was excited about it. Alicante was beautiful at that time of the year. Christmas lights decorated the streets, bathing the night into a gentle, yet cheerful glow, and a majestic tree was being put up on Angel Square. Around it huddled a dozen of Shadowhunters, adjusting the last ornaments to the branches. Others stood in smaller groups, steaming cups clasped in their hands, and their faces flushed from the cold. Children's laughter filled the air as the youngest of the Shadowhunters thrust themselves into the snow, which had started to fall on the day before.

A snowball flew past Helen. It hit a man wearing a long, black coat who instantly whirled around to snarl at the child that had thrown the ball. Helen recognized the man. He was the current Consul. He looked furious and about to stomp over to the children when the woman next to him tapped him on the shoulder. His expression softened and he happily accepted the cup she handed to him.  
Helen pulled her scarf tighter around her body and buried her hands deep in the pockets of her coat. She walked passed the Consul and the woman that had kept him from losing his temper. Today she didn't feel like talking to the Consul. He was a very peculiar man. She kept her face hidden in her scarf, and as her cheeks touched the soft fabric her heart ached for Los Angeles.  
The clothes she was wearing today were completely new and felt alien to her. There was no need for woolen socks, thick coats and cuddly scarfs in California. Her father had given her some money so she could get herself some winter clothes before leaving for Alicante. At first she had said she didn't need any, but she was glad she had changed her mind and had bought the coat she was wearing now. It was freezing, even more than she'd expected. I should probably get some of that tea everyone was drinking, she thought.  
As she made her way through the crowd, a couple of people greeted her cheerily. She stopped every now and then to chit-chat. People knew her, although she had to admit it wasn't always a good thing. They didn't know her for the skilled Shadowhunter she was, or the passionate, loving sister of six siblings. She was known as the bastard child of Andrew Blackthorn and a faerie who had apparently been too weak to have a long-standing relationship with a Shadowhunter. Helen had stopped caring about other people's opinion a long time ago.  
One of the women that had greeted her even pointed out if Helen as a half-fey was allowed to celebrate Christmas. Helen had offered her a cunning smile and had left. She now followed the scent of freshly brewed tea and ginger. The moment a small wooden stand popped into sight, she gave a sigh of relief. She pushed passed a group of Shadowhunters and was pleased to find the space in front of the stand empty.  
"I'd love to have some tea," she gasped and pulled her gloves off her hands without looking up. She felt suddenly utterly exhausted.  
"Sure. Would you rather have orange and ginger or lemon and herbs?"  
"Uh, whichever will thaw my fingers," Helen answered. There was a clear, sincere laugh, and Helen looked up.  
The girl opposite her looked exactly the way her laugh had sounded. Bright, cheerful and very beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed, an extreme contrast to her otherwise pale, flawless face. Dark hair framed that face, and her brown eyes gleamed at Helen. She was wearing a red coat with a matching pointing cap which emphasized the color of her white face even more.  
"So, what will it be?" the girl asked, and Helen noticed she'd been staring. She felt her cheeks turn red-hot.  
"Uh," she stuttered, wrenching her gloves nervously in her hands. "Orange and ginger?" It came out more as a question, but the girl seemed to be even more amused about that. She reached for a mug, filled it with hot, steaming liquid, and handed it to Helen. Her lips were still curled into a grin.  
Tentatively, Helen reached for the cup. Its head instantaneously warmed her fingers.  
"Better?" the girl asked.  
Helen nodded.  
A moment of silence followed. The girl kept looking at Helen, her eyes huge and expectant, and Helen whished for someone to approach the stand and ask for tea. But no one came, and so Helen tried to return the girl's gaze.  
When the silence had grown unbearable, Helen cleared her throat and asked, "What's your name?"  
The girl smiled. "Aline."

* * *

**Aline**

When she awoke that morning, Aline had expected nothing much. It was the third day in a row that she had to be at the Angel Square at 9 a.m. sharp. She had promised to help her mother decorate the big tree, and it usually took more than a day to do that.  
When they had reached the Angel Square, a flustered looking woman had approached them and with a high-pitched voice she'd told them the tragedy of the day. The girl that was supposed to hand out the tea on that night, the night of the grand opening, got hurt in a demon fight. Nothing serious, she had added hastily, but someone needed to steep in for her. Jia had happily suggested Aline to do the job, and for her mother's sake she had accepted. She knew how much Jia wanted to be liked by the people of Alicante. They had moved there not long ago and even though Idris was supposed to be the homeland of all Shadowhunters, Aline couldn't shake the feeling of being an intruder.  
Aline had helped to set up the stand and had brewed several containers of tea. It was nice to keep oneself busy with something not demon related. Aline loved her life as a Shadowhunter, but once a year she enjoyed taking a break from it and engage herself with something that was less dangerous. Her family always had an incredible affection for Christmas, and it seemed to Aline that she had inherited that. Around that time of the year she got excited, her whole body buzzing with energy, and for a change that feeling wasn't caused by a demon advancing on her.  
Once the sun had set, which happened quit early when it was winter in Alicante, Shadowhunters of all ages had gathered on the Angel Square. A group of five started to sing Christmas carols, and within minutes more and more Shadowhunters had assembled on the square.  
Aline disappeared behind her stand, where her mother was impatiently awaiting her. Together they handed out teas and cookies, which had been provided to them by the Lightwoods. Aline had been surprised to see them arrive with plates full of cookies, considering how awful a cook Isabelle was. Obviously her mother Maryse seemed to be more skilled. But compared to Isabelle, everyone was a master baker.  
The girl with the long, raven hair now disappeared back into the crowd, her hand tightly grasping her little brother's hand.  
"How are you enjoying Idris so far?" Alec asked as Aline passed him his cup of tea. His startling blue eyes glimmered in the light of Christmas decoration.  
Aline shrugged. "It's different. At least I get to see you guys more often."  
"I suppose that's definitely an advantage," Alec smiled and at that moment a boy with golden hair appeared at his side.  
"Hey, Aline." He gave her one of his heart-melting smiles.  
"Jace. Want some tea?"  
He gladly took the cup from her, snatched a cookie from the plate, but stopped midway to his mouth. His eyes grew wide.  
"Please tell me your sister didn't make those!"  
Alec laughed. "No, that was all me."  
Relieved Jace swallowed the whole thing in one bite and hastily grabbed another one. He leaned in on Alec, his chin smudged with powder sugar from the cookie.  
"I heard someone here is selling punch. You know, the good stuff." Jace's face brightened, his golden eyes almost more radiant than the Christmas lights.  
"Why do you always have to get yourself into trouble?" Alec frowned, but his contradictions were fruitless. Jace pushed him through the crowd, a triumphant grin on his face.  
Aline let her gaze follow the boys with amusement until they vanished in the crowd.  
"I'll get some more cookies," Jia announced and was gone too.  
Aline busied herself with stocking the tea cups, refilling the sugar caster and clearing the empty cookie plates. Afterwards she let her gaze drift over the crowd. She loved watching people and imagining the things they were talking about. And she savored it especially during Christmas time when everyone felt jolly and lighthearted.  
A girl with golden blond locks pushed through the crowd and stumbled upon the stand. Her head buried deep in her scarf, she mumbled a few words which Aline interpreted as an inquiry for tea. Aline asked her the exact same thing she'd asked about two dozen people on that night. "Would you rather have orange and ginger or lemon and herbs?"  
The girl's response, however, was nothing that Aline had expected. Most people had barely listened to what Aline had said and had then pointed out to either one of the containers filled with tea. But this girl managed to astound Aline with her answer.  
"Uh, whichever will thaw my fingers."  
Aline burst into laughter, and the girl's head jerked up. Aline fell silent, and for a moment she was lost in the girl's blue-green eyes. The turmoil on the Angel Square seemed to fall away, and it grew utterly quiet. It felt like an eternity. Aline kept staring at the girl, and the girl kept staring at Aline, and after another moment of silence Aline decided to break it. She eventually handed the girl a cup of tea.  
"What's your name?" the girl asked, her hand tightly around the cup.  
"Aline," she answered, praying that the girl wouldn't hear the nervousness in her voice. "And yours?"  
"My name's Helen," the blond smiled a destructively beautiful smile.

* * *

**Helen**

She blinked at the other girl, Aline. And while looking at Aline she felt her blood freeze in her veins. Her heartbeat stopped for a second, and the lack of air made her head feel dizzy, even more than the tea already did. She gathered her thoughts, worked up her best smile and said, "My name's Helen."  
The corner of Aline's mouth twitched. It was a weak smile compared to the one she had given Helen before, and for a split second Helen feared that Aline recognized her as the person everyone thought her to be. But Aline surprised her by saying something entirely unexpected.  
"I've never seen you around. How come?"  
"I'm actually from Los Angeles. We do have a house here in Alicante, but we rarely come for a visit," Helen explained and took another sip of her tea. She was glad she'd opted for the orange-ginger one. It tasted deliciously sweet.  
"Ah, I know that feeling. We'd barely visited Alicante ourselves before we moved here," Aline said and handed Helen a plate of cookies. She gratefully accepted one.  
"Where are you from, then?" Helen asked and bit a piece of the cookie. It was her favorite, the ones filled with chocolate.  
Aline hesitated with her response, nervously gnawing at her lower lip. Helen was about to tell her that she didn't have to answer when Aline said something in a language that sounded quite unfamiliar to her.  
Helen looked at her, puzzled. "What was that?"  
Aline blushed, and her pointing head slipped a few inches down her brow, almost covering her eyes. "It was Chinese."  
"So you're from China? How exciting! And what did you say?"  
Helen could see Aline struggling even more with that answer and she was clearly stalling, when someone eventually interrupted them.  
"Can I get two cups of the lemon tea?" a Shadowhunter with dark hair and even darker eyes asked.  
"Coming right up," Aline called and turned around to fill the tea into the cups. Helen stepped aside to let the Shadowhunter by. He took the cups from Aline and vanished back into the crowd. The moment he was gone another Shadowhunter arrived, this time behind the stand, and Helen immediately saw the resemblance between the newcomer and Aline. She had the same dark hair and brown eyes.  
"I've got some more cookies," the woman announced, putting down two plates on the counter top. "Do we need anything else?" she asked Aline cheerfully.  
"No, thanks," Aline replied, busily wrapping the transparent film off the plates. "But, Mum, would you mind watching the stand for a while? I'd like to show my friend around."  
"Your friend?" Aline's mother sounded stunned, and so was Helen.  
Aline pointed in her direction, and Helen gave her a quizzical look.  
"Oh, yes of course!" Aline's mother exclaimed in delight. "Go have fun you two!"  
Aline flashed a smile and went around the stand to Helen. "Do you wanna come?"  
Unsure what to do or what to say, Helen nodded and, after putting down her cup, followed Aline obediently. For a second her father's words rung in her head, to never trust a stranger, but this girl didn't feel like a stranger to her. And so she let herself be drawn into the singing and swaying mass of people.  
It was darker now, and all the lights, including the witch street lights, had sprung to life. The square was filled with the sound of laughter and Christmas songs, and the scent of incense tickled Helen's nose. Both children and adults had assembled around the tall tree, holding hands, hugging each other, and watching a group of Shadowhunters lighting the candles. They gleamed in a soft, gentle blue glow, the same color that witchlight produced. All of a sudden the entire square fell silent.  
Aline pushed Helen further into the crowd, and when the singing had completely subsided, they came to a halt. Aline's gaze was fixed on the tree, her eyes glowing with joy and a smile playing with the corner of her mouth.  
Helen lifted her head to look at the tree as well. Once the Shadowhunters had lighted all the candles, a choir began to sing. At first it was a very quiet and slow song, barely audible on the vast square. The singers' voices disappeared into the night sky before it could reach the ears of the listeners. But then they rose abruptly and all around Helen the people commenced to sing.  
Helen was mesmerized by the singsong. Her family liked to sing Christmas carols too, but never before had she heard something as beautiful and as lovely as the tune she was listening to now. Every single Shadowhunter on the square, no matter if young or old, had his face high up facing the tree and sang.  
Helen cast a sight glance at Aline and she caught her singing too. She couldn't help but smile and began lifting her voice as well.  
And suddenly she felt something soft against the palm of her hand, Aline's hand looking for comfort. Helen accepted it, opening her fingers and linking them with Aline's cold ones. At the touch of their fingers meeting, a shiver ran down her spine, and then a warmth spread through her body.  
The song went on for another few minutes, and when it stopped people broke into smaller groups. Some of them quickly made their way down one of the numerous streets that led away from Angel Square.  
Aline's hand was still in Helen's when Aline looked up at her. "There's something else I want you to see."  
Even though it hadn't been a question, Helen nodded, and again Aline dragged her across the square, away from the turmoil, and down a narrow alley.

* * *

**Aline**

She had never felt more alive than the moment she had reached for Helen's hand. Her heart had been pounding, her blood rushing in her veins, but she'd put herself together and taken the risk. She hadn't even known if Helen was into her, nor did she know if she was into Helen, but she just had to do it. Something about the enigmatic girl with the blue-green eyes and the pointed ears, which she hadn't failed to noticed, enthralled her.  
Having thought about it briefly, Aline decided to show Helen the best Christmas decoration she'd ever seen in Alicante or elsewhere. She was still holding on to Helen's hand as she led her through the alley. The path she had chosen was less frequently taken by others, and only a handful of Shadowhunters passed them in the dark.  
"Tell me more about you. What about your family? Didn't they come with you to Alicante?" Aline asked, trying to sound casual, but she felt her voice trembling with every word.  
A fleeting shadow crossed Helen's face, causing her to look deeply desperate. But then her lips curved into a smile, and she said, "I have six siblings, four brothers and two sisters, and we all live in the Los Angeles Institute. It belongs to my father, Andrew Blackthorn."  
While talking Helen's eyes had started to shine with love and affection.  
"Blackthorn, huh? I think I've heard that name before. It does ring a bell."  
Helen gave a long-drawn 'yes' which sounded rather unpleased. Aline was sensing that she was about to commit a blunder, so she quickly added, "Is he on the Council? Because my mother is, and I sometimes meet people who are too."  
Helen nodded, seemingly relaxed. "And your family? Are both your parents Chinese?"  
Aline shook her head. "My father isn't."  
"You do look a lot like your mother," Helen ventured.  
"I hear that a lot," Aline smiled, and they turned around one corner. They were now on the street everyone knew to be the one where all the finer houses stood. Most of them were inhabited by the Consul, the Inquisitor and other close Council members.  
Each house was colorfully decorated, just like the Angel Square had been, but one of them was particularly artful. Star-shaped ornaments in all sizes and colors adorned the house. About a dozen Christmas lights were wrapped around it and the trees in its front garden. In the latter was also a gigantic Santa Clause riding a sledge, pulling the reigns of the reindeers that stood in front of him. The finishing touch was a tree almost as tall as the one that stood on Angel Square, entirely hung with beautiful, shining red and golden baubles.  
Aline let go of Helen's hand, and Helen stepped forward, her mouth wide open and her eyes shining with the reflection of the lights.  
"Wow, it's-," she began.  
"Dazzling?" Aline offered.  
Helen laughed. "No, this is so American! I love it. It's almost like home again."  
She whirled around to face Aline. Her lips were spread into a wide grin.  
"Whose house is this? I need to know!" Helen called out, laughing.  
Aline laughed, too. Helen's laughter was too catching for her not to join in.  
"Unfortunately I have no idea whose house this is. Clearly not the Consul's and I doubt it's the Inquisitor's. She's a very strict woman," Aline said, and she saw a slight disappointment in Helen's eyes.  
Then Helen shrugged and turned around to look at the decoration again. Aline stepped up to stand next to Helen, and once more that night a tingling feeling spread through her body, all the way from the tips of her toes to the tips of her fingers. She felt her breath come out more irregularly, but she tried to conceal the fact as good as possible.  
Crossing her arms in front of her body, she tilted her head to look at Helen.  
"How long will you be staying?"  
Helen shrugged. "Probably till the 26th. My father asked me to get some things fixed with the Clave."  
"At Christmas?" Aline asked stunned. "Don't they take any days off?"  
"Apparently the Clave never takes a day off," Helen sighed, crestfallen. "Anyway, the plan is that I get to go back home after Christmas only."  
Her eyes darted back to the magnificent tree. Aline could see sadness in them, sadness that she planned to take away from her.  
"I'd love to have you at our house." Aline had blurted the words out before thinking about it, but seeing the effect it had on Helen she didn't regret it.  
"You're sure that your parents will be fine with this? I mean, I'd love to come, but I don't want to be a burden," Helen said.  
"You're not a burden!" Aline countered. "I'm sure they don't mind, but if it makes you feel any better, I'll ask them tomorrow in the morning."  
Helen nodded. "It would."  
Again Helen fixed her gaze on the Christmas tree. Aline followed her gaze, and she felt her pulse vibrating through her body. She was so close to Helen she could feel the heat radiating off her and smell her perfume, a sweet, seducing scent. It was blurring her mind.  
"Helen," she whispered, unintentionally, and the blonde immediately turned to look at Aline. Her eyes were huge and expectant. Aline swallowed hard against the lump in her throat and forced another couple of words out of her.  
"I really enjoyed meeting you."  
Helen flashed a smile. "Me too."  
And again the words tumbled out of Aline before she was finished thinking them. "You're very beautiful."  
Aline's heartbeat stopped. She had her eyes looked with Helen's, forcing herself to keep her head up, but everything inside her screamed _Run_. She couldn't move.  
Helen's expression remained unchanged and her true feelings hidden from Aline's observation. But looking closely, Aline thought she saw a fleeting smile cross Helen's face.  
Helen laughed, pointing upward. "See, a shooting star!"  
Aline's head automatically flipped back and she scanned the dark night sky, but all she could see were the same stars as every other night. They did however seem to shine brighter that night.  
"I don't see anything," Aline said, lowering her head. "Are you sure-"  
And all of a sudden, completely unexpected, Helen moved forward and pressed her lips on Aline's. A gasp escaped her mouth as Helen pulled her closer, but it was drowned by Helen's lips. They were soft and tasted sweet, of oranges.  
As abruptly as the kiss had started, it ended. Helen stepped back, her cheeks rosy, and she offered Aline another of her brilliant smile. Aline could still feel the pressure of her lips on her own.  
"I'm sorry," Helen said, panting. "I had to do that."  
Aline nodded, and then she stepped up to Helen and kissed her, kissed her under the beautiful, clear night sky. Above them, all the stars aligned.


End file.
